Out Of Work? Sharpen Your Business Networking Skills Using "Schmooze-Ability" Tips

Laid Off? Starting a small business? How do you revive your network when you need it the most?

(PRWEB) January 6, 2002 -- Most workers become lax at maintaining their professional network when theyve worked with a company a while. With the current round of mass layoffs, having a dead or outdated business network can extend the time it takes to find a new position.

Connections are crucial for business success, but it's not so much who you know as who knows you," says Tampa-based consultant Denise O'Berry. President of The Small Business Edge Corporation, O'Berry has collected her observations on the skills and attitudes of master "schmoozers" in her booklet of networking tips, 101 Nuggets to Power Up Your Schmooze-Ability. Her advice includes:

- Before you go to a networking meeting, be prepared with a goal. Who do you want to meet? Why are you there? Have a conversation icebreaker ready to get to know the right people.

- Don't reserve every seat and act like a grump if someone unfamiliar wants to sit there. Welcome the opportunity that a stranger presents. They may be your next prospect.

- Treat referrals like gold. Contact the referral within a day, if possible. Let the referrer know how things went.

- Online, your email creates the first impression just like your physical presence does at face-to-face meetings. Be the business professional that you are.

- Any email you send has the potential for being forwarded to an untold number of people. Before you press the "send" key, give your message the "front page" test. Ask, "How would I feel if this made the front page of the newspaper?"

An entrepreneur who quickly built her own business after nearly two decades of operational and management positions, Denise O'Berry provides consulting help to businesses ranging from Mom-and-Pop retail shops to corporate giants. The complete booklet, "101 Nuggets to Power Up Your Schmooze-Ability," can be purchased for $9 postpaid at http://www.deniseoberry.com/101tips, by calling 1-800-643-3370 or by sending a check or money order to The Small Business Edge Corporation, 14318 Pelham Lane, Suite C, Odessa, FL 33556.

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